Typically, in movies where the main character seemingly cannot die, it's a superhero who overcomes numerous beatings and stands tall at the end. The new movie Novocaine takes the opposite approach where a completely normal guy who can't feel pain survives everything thrown at him and still makes it out alive—albeit not standing.
Nate (Jack Quaid) is a bank teller who was diagnosed with CIPA as a child. Nate can't feel any pain and doesn't have a gauge on things like temperature. He lives a very boring life where he only drinks his meals—can't bite that tongue off—has protective gear all over the house and office and has no real friendships. He's seemingly never dated anyone, either.
Nate's world gets turned upside down when he gets asked out by his co-worker Sherry (Amber Midthunder) who is the first person to push him past his fears and convince him that it's okay to eat regular foods and go out for a night. This subsequently leads to a bank robbery at Nate and Sherry's workplace that kicks the film into full throttle.
Although Midthunder is underutilized in the film overall, she brings a natural charm that displays the easy chemistry between the two leads. You really want to see her and Nate work out and find the happily ever after that Nate has been scared of for his whole life. Midthunder is joined by Ray Nicholson and Jacob Batalon at the main villain and Nate's online best friend respectively.
Nicholson's character Simon is the type of movie character you love to hate, and he plays the villian role with ease. Even with his limited acting roles throughout his career, Nicholson is a natural in front of the camera and you can't wait to see karma get him by the end of the film.
Similar to Midthunder, Batalon is a minor side character in the movie but makes the most of his on-screen time. He showcased an ability to draw laughs throughout the most recent Spider-Man series and he's involved in most of the humorous scenes in this movie as well.
As the movie gets deeper into Nate's adventure, it does require the viewer to accept a sense of disbelief that he's still surviving. Between seemingly numerous concussions, broken bones, a burnt hand, and an arrow to the knee, Nate keeps pushing and makes it to the end of the film by pure adrenaline and his love for Sherry. There are numerous scenes that feel pulled out of a horror film for how squeamish they may make people, but it continues to push the point that Nate may never die no matter how much of a beating he takes.
Quaid plays the character extremely well and continues his strong run from the film Companion earlier this year. Even though this isn't the type of film to win an Oscar, it's a movie where you can enjoy some popcorn, watch some action sequences, and have a good time with your friends.
The movie does have some minor flaws that may deter it from going down as an overly memorable film though. Officer Langston (Betty Gabriel) and Duffy (Matt Walsh) play a standard pair of detectives that are investigating both the bank robbery and Nate throughout his pursuit of Sherry. They both feel like stock characters thrown in to advance the story more than adding anything to it.
The film also follows numerous action movie tropes that we've seen hundreds of times. Simon seemingly can't die until the movie reaches its endpoint, and there were numerous times when bad guys could have killed Nate in seconds but focused on talking or chasing him around instead.
The film also doesn't have any fight scenes that'll leave you talking afterwards. With Nate being a completely normal guy rather than a trained assassin or superhero, it's a lot of Nate running around and hoping for the best until he somehow kills one of the bad guys with pure luck. Luckily, Quaid makes these scenes enjoyable and will even inspire a few laughs with his body humor.
Overall, Novocaine is a good movie to see if you're a fan of action or a fan of Quaid's work. This is very much his movie and he makes the most of the story with his performance. Just make sure you leave any hopes for a cinematic classic at the door and you'll be in for a good time!